The lottery operates in nearly every state in the United States, and has grown in popularity with the rise of each major jackpot. Most Americans whether rich or poor have played some form of the lottery. Some play their favorite numbers in the Power Ball or the Mega Millions when there is a large jackpot, others play more regularly by playing a daily scratch off game. Regardless of the type of lottery game, this type of wagering has become an acceptable form of gambling in America.
The numbers game has been played primarily by men and women in poor neighborhoods since the early 1800s. The game was popular in poor communities of Negro, Cuban and Italian Americans. The Cubans called the game, bolita (little ball); the game was known as the Italian Lottery in Italian neighborhoods, and in the Negro community it was simply called, policy. Although an illegal game and conducted underground, the profits and winnings were viable means for creating legitimate businesses and supplementing the finances of other enterprises for business owners. The money was also helpful in creating financial resources in poor neighborhoods where money and finances was difficult to acquire from banks by the poor and uneducated population.
In the early 1900s policy was owned and controlled by blacks living in the Midwest and northern cities. It was accepted by many because it provided jobs and financial resources for blacks. The policy owners or barons not only ran their policy businesses, but they also served as bankers for the community as they loaned money to individuals for personal use and for business ventures like, barber shops, beauty salons, bars, barbeque pits and billiard halls. There were other businesses that benefited under the policy environment, but those mentioned here are what I call the “Bees” of the black community.
The numbers or policy rackets as it was often called consisted of policy shops, parlors and even houses where gamblers would go to place their bets or submit their 3 numbers. Men would also come to your home to secure your numbers. The numbers had to be any three digit number between 000 and 999. The winning number would be drawn in a lottery on a future date.
In many neighborhoods, policy drawings took place twice a day, six days a week. The first daily drawing was at 11:30 AM, with the winning number being available at 12:00 PM, and the second daily drawing was at 7:30 PM, with the winning number being available at 8:00 PM. There was a bonus drawing which took place on Friday and Saturday nights at 11:30 PM, with the winning number being available at midnight.
As blacks moved to the northern cities as a result of the Great Migration, which began in 1910 and the Second Industrial Revolution, which ended in 1914, they became increasingly interested in the game of policy. After working in the fields in the South earning very little pay, they were able to secured better paying jobs in the North while working in warehouses, stockyards and factories. This new level of financial success allowed them to have more disposable income for recreational activities such as movies, policy and baseball. Not to mention, some had more lofty goals of investing in business.
Black women due to their likelihood of having a higher level of education than black men were able to secure positions in policy operations as bookkeepers so to speak as they kept the records of those who played and paid their monies. Some black women who lived in the South were known to travel from the South on Fridays, make a few hundred dollars over the weekend and head back home to take care of their families on Sunday evenings. Few black women however, attain the level of success as the Policy Queen, Madam Stephanie St. Clair. She ran a successful policy racket in Harlem, racking up 25 to 50 million dollars a year over a period of time. In an effort to clean up her life and avoid being beaten up or killed, Madam St. Clair turned her business over to her associate, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson. Madam St. Clair went on to champion and advocate for the rights of the poor.
Some of the more popular policy rackets were run by black men in cities like New York, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and of course Chicago. During the 1920s thru 1940s the game of policy created more wealthy blacks than any other business enterprise. One of the most noted areas in the country for black enterprises and businesses was in Chicago South Side, most notably Bronzeville. Bronzeville is a neighborhood in the Douglas community, once known as the “Black Metropolis;” known for having the largest amount of black-owned businesses in the country. You had as you have with any community legitimate businesses operating alongside illegal and underground businesses, like policy operations.
Before his imprisonment in 1931, Al Capone, a notorious gangster and leader of the Chicago Outfit, better known as the Chicago Mafia took notice of black’s dominance in the policy racket in the Chicago South Side area. Al Capone, not wanting to interrupt the progress decided to arrange a meeting with the top policy barons or bosses and selected business owners in the community. He told them, I will not interfere with your policy operations in return you give me the names of the top funeral home directors in your area. Of course Capone had a number of illegal operations, but he wanted to arrange for the directors to transport his alcohol as they traveled throughout the city conducting funeral business. During the days of Prohibition, which began in the early 1920s, Capone controlled the supply and transportation of alcohol to various businesses from Canada to Florida. The arrangement with the black funeral home directors helped to improve and protect the smooth operation of Capone’s bootlegging business in the city of Chicago. After years of investigation by the FBI, Capone was jailed and sentenced for tax evasion charges in October of 1931.
You really can’t have a discussion on policy without talking about its influence on Negro Leagues baseball. Many of the Negro Leagues team owners were policy kings or czars with one foot in baseball and the other in organized crime. One such king was Alex Pompez, a Cuban immigrant who owned the New York Cubans and the Cuban Stars. He purchased the teams with money he earned while running a numbers racket in Harlem in the 20s. On several occasions Pompez was known to have borrowed money from the noted gangster and numbers man, Dutch Schultz. Schultz died in October of 1935 of gunshot wounds from a murder for hire operation. Pompez went on to have a successful career in baseball, including being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on February 27, 2006.
William “Gus” Greenleaf was another influential owner who ran a few illegal operations such as a numbers racket, and he sold alcohol during the Prohibition era. Greenleaf purchased the Legendary Crawford Grill in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburg in 1933. He raised the status of the restaurant and nightclub by booking major jazz artists like, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Although Greenleaf was a respected business leader and did many philanthropic deeds in the community, he is better known for his work in the development of Negro Leagues baseball. He was owner and player for the Pittsburg Crawfords, named after Crawford Grill. He was owner of Gus Greenleaf Field, one of a number of league ballparks owned by black men. Gus is also responsible for the introduction and popularity of the Negro Leagues East-West All-Star Game.
Greenleaf’s wealth allowed him to sign some of the greatest players of all times, players like, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and Cool “Papa” Bell. Gus Greenleaf retired from baseball in 1946, and died July 7, 1952. Prior to his death, he worked with Branch Rickey to bring about integration in the Major Leagues
From the Manuscript: "I Rode The Can" by Johnny Brand